Benne wafers and pimento cheese

This is a slightly fancified version of crackers and cheese spread. The crackers have a nice taste on their own. I wound up adding garlic powder and cayenne pepper to the pimento cheese to make it have more zing. I’m sure some of the leftovers will go on sandwiches quite nicely.

The recipes come from a collection of recipes from Martha’s Vineyard. This segment of the book featured the African-American settlers; hence the seemingly Southern recipe in a cookbook about a Northern island.

Benne wafers

From “The Martha’s Vineyard Cookbook” by Louise Tate King and Jean Stewart Wexler

Ingredients:

½ cup sesame seeds

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter

5 tablespoons milk

1 beaten egg

Method:

Toast sesame seeds on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool. (If you’re the sort of person who is frequently tempted to skip the roasting of nuts step, this is not one of those times you can skip and get the same results. Just as with sesame oil, the roasted version is so much more richly flavored.)

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Add butter, cut up into small chunks, and pulse to combine. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time. Whir in sesame seeds just to combine.

Roll dough into a cylinder as you would slice-and-bake cookie dough. Wrap in waxed paper and chill until firm. (This is going to take at least an hour, and making it the night before is even better, because this is a much softer dough than most cracker or cookie doughs, so having it cold enough to slice well is helpful.) Slice into rounds up to ¼-inch thick. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 350 degrees until golden, 12-15 minutes depending on thickness.

You can make this early in the day and store at room temperature in a container.

Pimento cheese

Adapted from “The Martha’s Vineyard Cookbook”

Ingredients:

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

½ cup mayonnaise

Tabasco, three dashes or to taste

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Black pepper and salt to taste

4 ounces pimentos, drained

Method:

Whirr cheese and mayonnaise together in a food processor. Place in a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. (This can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Its consistency is such that it doesn’t need to come to room temperature for spreadability.)